Officials from Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) announced on August 15 that students will be allowed to use artificial intelligence (AI) in their school-based assessments from next year, under strict guidelines.

The move by the regional examining body, announced as it released the 2025 exam results across the Caribbean, solidifies the importance of AI, which many experts say must not be shunned, but should be integrated as a co-pilot for our future.

“When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, it didn’t just introduce another tech gadget — it fundamentally challenged how we think about teaching and learning,” said Dr Audette Bailey, head of the Department of Science at Bethlehem Moravian College, in a piece published in this newspaper weeks before CXC’s announcement.

Dr Bailey, who called for AI to be used as a co-pilot by educators in Jamaica, said in addition to use by students, today’s student-teachers also need training in AI-enabled classrooms since they’ll shape Jamaica’s educational future.

Fact is, embracing the use of computer systems that can mimic human intelligence to enhance teaching and learning can only make education more efficient, accessible, and tailored to individual student needs.

The announcement by CXC marks a turning point in how we approach learning and testing and, rather than resisting this change out of fear, we should embrace AI.

We believe AI is not here to replace human intelligence, it is here to enhance it.

If ensuring access to education means meeting students where they are, then the first move is to accept that every student learns differently, and AI has the capacity to provide personalised support. It offers a skill set responsive to individual pace and style. This means that no student has to be left behind.

So, ironically, the very tool many feared will dehumanise learning can actually make it more personal.

And AI will also free up teachers to do what they do best: Connect with students, inspire curiosity, and nurture critical thinking.

Of course, we can’t ignore the concerns such as that AI will encourage shortcuts or dishonesty. But the truth is that clear rules and accountability can ensure the opposite, just as CXC has said — that while AI will be integrated into assessments, its use will be governed by clearly defined standards and ethical guidelines.

With this structured guidance, students can learn to reference it responsibly and apply it ethically — just as they were taught to use books, calculators, and the Internet.

Whether we accept it or not, AI is already woven into the fabric of everyday life. More and more people are using apps like ChatGPT like they did Google. To ignore AI’s use, or to deny students the chance to develop fluency in using such tools, would be to leave them unprepared for the future.

We can cling to outdated methods out of fear of change, or we can recognise that the world has shifted, and prepare our students accordingly.

As Dr Bailey said, once upon a time we all feared that calculators would eliminate mental maths, but we embraced it. We must now decide how to integrate AI.

We should not see this as surrendering education to machines, but as reclaiming education for people by using every tool available to help our students think more critically, learn more deeply, and prepare for the future.